News – Latest News

Minnesota-born Jimmy Hill Killed In Ukraine While Trying To Find Food

(FOX 9) – The American killed during a military strike by Russia in Ukraine has been identified as Jimmy Hill. Family members confirm to FOX 9 that 68-year-old Hill, who was born in Eveleth, Minnesota and graduated from Mahtomedi High School, was killed in the city of Chernihiv in Ukraine while trying to find food. “He was only going out to try and find…

Water Main Break on 21st Avenue West

DULUTH, Minn. — City of Duluth Utility Operations crews are responding to a water main break at North 21st Avenue West and Superior Street. City officials say that water has been shut off on Superior Street from 20th Avenue West to 22nd Avenue West. It is not known how long it will take to fix the break. Crews are working…

New Walz Plan For Surplus Includes Bigger Tax Rebate Checks

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz has released an updated plan for how to spend the state’s enormous budget surplus, including a proposal for income tax rebate checks of $1,000 per couple. His revised supplemental budget proposal, released Thursday, follows last month’s announcement that the state’s budget surplus has grown to $9.25 billion. It formalizes an idea he…

Water Main Break In Wrenshall Public School District

Classes dismissed at 12:20 PM today.

DULUTH, Minn. – A water main break has been reported today within the Wrenshall Public School Systems, located at 207 Pioneer Dr., Wrenshall, MN 55797. Classes will be dismissed for the rest of today starting at 12:20 PM, according to Wrenshall Superintendent Kim Belcastro. Categories: News, News – Latest News

Gordon Ramsay Becomes Third Candidate For St. Louis County Sheriff

DULUTH, Minn. – Former Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay was in Hibbing and Duluth Wednesday to announce his run for St. Louis County Sheriff. Ramsay was raised in Duluth and got a Bachelor’s degree at UMD and Master’s at CSS. He served as police chief from 2006 to 2016 before becoming chief of police in Wichita, Kansas. Ramsay said his…

Barn Fire Kills 70 Sheep In Carlton County

THOMPSON TOWNSHIP, Minn. – The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office does not suspect foul play in a fire that killed 70 sheep in Thomson Township. The fire was reported in a pole building around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 300 block of Koski Road. The property owner wasn’t home at the time to try to save the animals, according to…

Fire Officials: Stay Off Lake Superior’s Ice As Temps Rise Above Freezing

DULUTH, Minn. – The deadline to get those ice fishing shelters off the water for the season may be Monday, but the boost in melting air and more of it to come this weekend have officials hoping they don’t have to respond to any emergencies, especially on Lake Superior. “There’s never really a safe time to be on the ice….

Essentia Health Creates “Education-To-Employment” Scholarships And Opportunities For Rock Ridge Students

VIRGINIA, Minn. — Essentia Health is teaming up with Rock Ridge Public Schools in Virginia to create what they call “education-to-employment student scholarships.” Essentia is setting aside $300,000 for scholarships for students who pursue education after high school for certain career opportunities in healthcare. Those jobs range from respiratory therapists to radiology, surgical, and medical lab technicians, and more. The…

Duluth Community Relations Officer Announces Run for Minnesota House

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s Community Relations Officer is the latest to announce her bid to represent District 8B in the Minnesota House. Alicia Kozlowski has been active in the Duluth community over the past 12 years; first as a community organizer before joining the city’s Leadership Team in 2019.  She highlights her heritage as strengths for her candidacy.  That includes…

Ice Fishing and Snowmobile Seasons Wrapping Up

FREDENBERG, MN – Winter is starting to wind down and with the deadline to get ice fishing shelters off of water north of Highways 2 and 200 by March 21, anglers have been busy trying to get the last bit of ice fishing in before the season ends. Warmer weather also means snowmobile trails will start disappearing soon.  Businesses in…

Catalyst Story Institute Hires Anna Tanski For Leadership Role

DULUTH, Minn. — The Catalyst Story Institute has hired the former president and CEO of Visit Duluth, Anna Tanski, as the new Head of Festivals And Events for its organizations. It also hired four other women for leadership roles in New York and Los Angeles. The Institute’s headquarters are in Duluth, and is known for holding its Catalyst Content Festival…

Car Detailers Ready For Big Business As Sloppy Spring Approaches

DULUTH, Minn. – As spring approaches and the snow begins to melt, car washes and detailing businesses are seeing more customers. Zach Tharge, owner of Detail & Dash in Superior, says this time of year is definitely one of the busiest. “In the winter we stay busy enough, but in the summer I’d say we’re doing 8-10 vehicles per day….

Local Irish Pubs Ready for Busy Saint Patrick’s Day

DULUTH, MN – Local Irish pubs have been preparing for Saint Patrick’s Day for a couple of months and are now ready to host the community on this Irish Holiday.  With all the recent uncertainty regarding Covid restrictions, owners and employees are relieved that most have been lifted for them to able party like it’s 1999 with the beer, food,…

National Weather Service Looking for CoCoRaHS Volunteers

DULUTH, Minn. – The National Weather Service is looking for more volunteers to report rain, snow, and hail totals. March is the annual push for new members to join CoCoRaHS, which stands for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network.  It’s a program that allows people to measure precipitation from where they live, and supplement measurements recorded by automated devices…

Midday Update March 16th, 2022

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Natalie Noury and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Categories: Minnesota, News, News – Latest News, News Update, Wisconsin Tags: Ken Slama, midday update, Natalie Noury, News, news update, weather

Mayor’s ‘State Of The City’ To Return In Person, City Council Meetings To Follow

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson will hold her State of the City Address Tuesday, Mar. 29 in the Harbor Side Ballroom at the DECC. The meeting will have limited seating for the public, but the city is encouraging everybody to wear a mask. Council President Arik Forsman is also expected to speak, among other guests. Meanwhile, city council…

Former Duluth Police Chief Joins Race For St. Louis County Sheriff

DULUTH, Minn. – Former Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay is officially in the race for St. Louis County Sheriff. Ramsay joins two other candidates for the job — St. Louis County Undersheriff Jason Lukovsky and Moose Lake police officer Chad Walsh. “Reducing crime in the county is goal number one,” said Ramsay in a news release Tuesday. “To do that…

Mayor Larson, Sen. Klobuchar Celebrate $1.25 Million In Funding For Duluth Projects

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and Senator Amy Klobuchar spoke from Washington, D.C. Tuesday to celebrate a win for Duluth with more than $1 million on the way for infrastructure improvements to the Lift Bridge and to modernize Duluth’s 911 system. “We are so grateful to Senators Klobuchar and Smith for their advocating for us for the city…

Duluth’s ‘Wild Birds Unlimited’ To Close Storefront, Try Online-Only Business

DULUTH, Minn. – Wild Birds Unlimited, the only bird feeding franchise store in northern Minnesota, is closing its storefront in Duluth next month. But the owners are going to try to keep doing business online. Misty Bristol has owned Wild Birds Unlimited since 2013 in the Burning Tree Plaza. She bought the business from longtime owner Bob Heller, who opened…

Damiano Center Recreates First Meal for 40th Anniversary

DULUTH, Minn. – The community kitchen at Damiano Center celebrated its 40th anniversary Tuesday. It recreated its first meal, served March 15, 1982, by offering the same hamburger soup recipe to everyone who attended.  In addition, the meal offered side such as a salad and mixed fruit, and pie ala mode for dessert. Kitchen manager Flora Woodfork helped with the first…

Duluth Police Using Federal Funding to Add Text Updates for 911 Calls, Better Identify Crime Hotspots

DULUTH, Minn. – New federal funding will help the Duluth Police Department improve their customer service.   Chief Mike Tusken says the $750,000 will focus on adding or upgrading technology within the department that will focus on three initiatives. One of them regards SPIDR Tech, a program that gives people who make a call to 911 progress updates on their case through…

Perkins Location Next to Miller Hill Mall Closed

DULUTH, Minn. – After 37 years, Perkins next to Miller Hill Mall has closed its doors. “It’s a sad day,” says owner Dillon Flaherty.  “I didn’t plan my 37 year career ending this way, but it has.  It just wasn’t sustainable anymore.” Flaherty says a number of factors, from COVID to inflation to staffing, led to this decision.  “It’s not one…

15-Year-Old Duluth Boy Charged in Fatal Stabbing of 19-Year-Old Female Family Member

DULUTH, Minn. — A 15-year-old boy has been formally charged as a juvenile with second-degree homicide for fatally stabbing a 19-year-old woman who was a family member last Friday night in Duluth. The stabbing happened on the 1700 block of East Superior Street. The victim has now been identified Karimah Phuly. Duluth police officers initially responded to a disturbance call…

Minneapolis Revises Policy on Warrants After Locke Killing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the city is changing policy for search warrants following the police shooting of a Black man in a downtown apartment so that officers must knock and wait a certain length of time before entering a residence. Police would have to wait 20 seconds before entering a residence while serving a daytime warrant,…

Minnesota-Native Musher Brent Sass Wins his 1st Iditarod Race Across Alaska

Photo: Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Musher Brent Sass won the arduous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska on Tuesday as his team of 11 dogs dashed off the Bering Sea ice through a crowd of fans in downtown Nome. Sass mushed down Front Street and across the finish line just before 6 a.m….

Mask Requirements Loosening On U of M Campuses Starting March 21st

MINNESOTA — The University of Minnesota system is loosening its mask requirements for all campuses as COVID case rates drop. The university president wrote in a statement last Friday that the school system always aligned its mask policies with CDC recommendations. Starting on March 21st, the restrictions are loosening but not going away entirely yet. Anyone on campus will no…

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ‘Spar’ Headed For New Homeport In Duluth

With the deep freeze moving past us, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter known as the Spar is on its way to its new home right here in Duluth. The Spar was commissioned in 2001 and originally based in Kodiak, Alaska. The 225-foot buoy tender left in 2020 for the Coast Guard Yard to undergo maintenance in Baltimore, Maryland. The Coast…

Duluth Cider To Host ‘Stand With Ukraine’ Benefit Concert Saturday

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Cider is getting ready to host a “Stand with Ukraine” benefit concert this Saturday for Ukrainian refugees. Charlie Parr and the Black-Eyed Snakes will be taking the stage starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door with an option to donate more. And Duluth Cider will donate $1 for every pint sold. The proceeds…

Veteran, Councilors Speak About Reaching Deal To Continue Duluth’s Memorial Day Parade

DULUTH, Minn. — A veteran and two city councilors spoke with FOX21 about reaching a deal last Friday to keep the Memorial Day parade in West Duluth. The Memorial Day parade has been a long-standing tradition in the city, but there was a chance this year that it would move to Proctor or Rice Lake. This, after the veterans who…

Chum Food Distribution to Pause Until April for Interior Work

The food shelf's "Refresh' project which started in 2019 was delayed due to supply chain issues and the pandemic.

DULUTH, Minn.- CHUM is hitting pause on its food distribution program as its Duluth building undergoes interior renovations. Starting this Thursday, distribution out of Downtown and West Duluth locations, the mobile food drops, and the CHUM2GO program will stop. CHUM expects this to go until April 1st. The food shelf’s “Refresh’ project which started in 2019 was delayed due to…

As Spring Approaches, Flooding Concerns Grow For Homeowners

DULUTH, Minn. – As many people are getting anxious for warmer air to move in, some are getting anxious about flooding concerns, especially inside homes, which can quickly turn into a nightmare. Kevin Buck, owner of SERVPRO in The Twin Ports, said as ice melts off roofs, water can back up into a home’s shingles and get into ceilings and…

Duluth Armory Rehabilitation seeks New Bill

DULUTH, Minn.-A bill to provide funding for the restoration of the Duluth Armory has gained momentum as it went through the House Capital Investment Committee last week. The bill would provide $7.5 million dollars for the development of the mixed-use economic development and cultural center. Built in 1915, the Armory served as a training facility for the Minnesota National Guard…

Duluth Crews To Remove Snow In Downtown Business District Wed., Thurs.

DULUTH, Minn. – With spring-like air on the way, the city of Duluth will be removing piles of snow throughout the Downtown Business District this week. Starting Wednesday, crews will begin removing snow on Michigan Street from 6th Avenue West to 3rd Avenue East. Then on Thursday, crews will remove snow from 6th Avenue West down to Michigan on the…

Senators Klobuchar, Smith Secure Funding For Lift Bridge, Duluth 911

DULUTH, Minn. – More than $1 million in federal funding is headed to Duluth to revitalize the Aerial Lift Bridge and modernize the city’s 911 system. U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats representing Minnesota, made the announcement Monday. They say $500,000 will go to infrastructure improvements on the Lift Bridge and $750,000 will help modernize the Duluth…

Mount Royal Market Gearing Up for Saint Patrick’s Day

DULUTH, MN – With Saint Patrick’s Day coming later this week, local grocery stores are starting to get busy selling plenty of corned beef for the occasion.  Last year, Mount Royal Market made 100 pounds of corned beef to sell alongside the name brand products which turned out to not be enough! So this year they’re preparing about 200 pounds…

City of Duluth To Light Enger Tower for Multiple Sclerosis Week

DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth is lighting Enger Tower tonight through Saturday in recognition of National Multiple Sclerosis Week. Enger Tower will be lit in orange to raise education and awareness about the disease. The city says this year’s theme is “connections.” By lighting Enger Tower, the City of Duluth encourages the community to share their connection to…

Essentia Health Opening Pharmacy in Ely

ELY, Minn. – Essentia Health announced on Monday that it will be opening a pharmacy in Ely next week. The pharmacy is scheduled to open on March 21 and will offer prescription medication services, flu shots, drive-through service, specialty pharmacy services for uncommon medicines, and more. The pharmacy is located at 1500 East Sheridan Steet, Suite 100. It will be…

Coffee Conversation: ‘1-on-1’ with a Harlem Globetrotter Ahead of their Return to Duluth Saturday

DULUTH, Minn.- This week’s Coffee Conversation is nothing but net, as FOX 21’s Arman Rahman sits down with Scooter Christensen, Point Guard for the Harlem Globetrotters, as they prepare to bring their ball-handling antics back to Amsoil Arena at the DECC this Saturday at 7 p.m. A few tickets are still available online as of Monday morning, and Christensen said…